A robber has been jailed after his DNA was found on a hat he dropped after snatching a woman’s handbag.
Bryan Oldham was wearing the cap when he made a beeline for his victim and tried to wrestle the bag from her grasp.
The woman was dragged across the floor in the resulting struggle, before Oldham eventually managed to yank the handbag free.
He at that point tried to flee from the scene of the crime – in Haywood Street, Sneinton – but was pursued by his victim and the group she was with.
Knowing this, Oldham hid in a nearby garden and waited for them to pass him by before deciding to try and make his escape by hurdling a fence.
That didn’t go to plan, however, with the 49-year-old instead falling over – dropping his hat in the process – before swinging a punch at one of the women who had been trying to retrieve the bag.
While the punch missed, Oldham barged past the woman and ran away – disposing the stolen bag into a bin as he did so, with the intention of then coming back and collecting it later on.
Unfortunately for Oldham, the handbag was discovered before he had the chance to do that, while the hat he’d been wearing was also found by police, following the incidents on 26 April last year.
That cap helped detectives forensically link Oldham to the offences after his DNA was found on it, with available CCTV also backing up their theory that he was the man responsible.
Having initially denied in police interviews that he was involved – even telling officers it couldn’t be him as he hadn’t worn a hat for years – Oldham eventually admitted to the charges of robbery and assault.
Appearing at Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday (16 June), Oldham, of Keswick Street, Sneinton, was sentenced to five years in prison.
Speaking after Oldham was jailed, the victim of the robbery said:
“Whilst a bag snatch seems like an innocuous crime, the violence used against me left me with serious physical injuries and pain that required numerous hospital appointments.
“As stated in my victim personal statement which I read out in court, this incident has left me with physical scars that act as a daily reminder of the ordeal.
“Bryan Oldham robbed me of my bag but more importantly he has robbed me of a year of my life whilst I recover from the physical injuries and psychological trauma.
“I am grateful that the police investigation has led to this successful prosecution. The custodial sentence passed by the judge reflects the seriousness of the offence and will hopefully act as a deterrent to others.”
Detective Constable Henry James, of Nottinghamshire Police, added:
“Robbery is a horrendous offence that can have a considerable impact on victims which can be felt for a long time.
“In this case, the woman Bryan Oldham robbed was left really shaken up, while she also sustained injuries to her shoulders and hands that required repeated physiotherapy and resulted in permanent scarring.
“If what he did to her wasn’t bad enough, he was also then responsible for assaulting another woman during the incident before making his escape.
“His actions thankfully didn’t go to plan though, as we managed to recover the stolen handbag, along with Oldham’s hat, which we then used to forensically link him to the offences and ultimately put him behind bars.”